New Delhi: India pulled off a sensational 2-1 win over sixth seeds Germany in a second round Group III tie of the junior Fed Cup tennis tournament at La Baule, France Tuesday.

With Sania Mirza struggling to find her rhythm, the onus was on Ankita Bhambri who did her job in style defeating Melanie Hafner 6-4, 6-2 in the first match. But the Germans levelled through Tatjana Malek who registered a 6-4, 6-1 victory over Sania.

It then boiled down to the doubles match which Ankita and Sania won with relative ease. Carmen Klaschka and Tajana Malek, down 2-5 in the first set, fought back to level it 5-5. But soon they ran out of steam to concede eight straight games to lose the match 7-5, 6-0.

Buenos Aires: Argentine footballer Jorge Cervera has been released by kidnappers here following the payment of a ransom, police sources confirmed Tuesday.

The 27-year-old Cervera, who plays for first division Banfield, was kidnapped in the early hours of Tuesday after the car in which he was travelling with three friends was stopped by six youths. The kidnappers, who demanded $5,000 for his release, finally accepted $1,100, said Cervera.

Police carried out a search of the Lanus district and freed the footballer after intercepting two cars and arresting two youths following an exchange of gunshots. The other members of the group escaped.

Seoul: South Korean striker Ahn Jung-hwan is set to join J-League club Shimizu S-Pulse, his agent said on Wednesday.

A key player in the South Korean team that finished fourth in the World Cup, Ahn’s move follows a fallout with his former Italian club Perugia and visa troubles that halted a transfer to English Premier League Blackburn Rovers last month. “We have agreed on the big principle that Ahn should move to J-League’s Shimizu S-Pulse,” said Kim Hyung-wook, managing director at Ahn’s agent Eplayers.

“If the talks go smoothly, Ahn could take a flight to Japan early next week,” he said.

Seoul: South Korea’s acting national team coach Park Hang-seo has been retained through 2004 despite being warned about his conduct after a dispute with the country’s media, the Korea football association (KFA) said Wednesday.

Park was found to have defamed the KFA when he hit back at newspaper reports that he would be dismissed next month.

“We have accepted Park’s apology and issued a warning to him,” the KFA said in a statement after a board meeting Wednesday.

“Park’s tenure will run until 2004, to include the Pusan Asian Games and the 2004 Olympics,” it added.

London: Everton striker Duncan Ferguson has been told by manager David Moyes that a second injection on his bad back may be his last chance to cure the injury. “There is no time limit with the injury, though he is a concern,” Moyes said Wednesday. “We suggested a second but he said ‘no’. A second injection would be as far as we could go with this current complaint. I don’t think surgery would come into it.”

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